The creator of Metro 2033 series feels sorry for Andrzej Sapkowski

During our conversation with Dmitry Glukhovsky, the author of the Metro book series, the topic of Andrzej Sapkowski was raised again. The Russian writer revealed that he simply feels sorry for the creator of The Witcher.

Some time ago we had the opportunity to talk with Dmitry Glukhovsky, the author of the Metro book series. And during our conversation the topic of Andrzej Sapkowski was raised again. The Russian writer revealed that he simply feels sorry for the creator of The Witcher. Moreover, he emphasized that games helped his works a lot.

Dmitry Glukhovsky was born on June 12, 1979 in Moscow. He wrote his debut novel, Metro 2033, at the age of 18. Initially it could be read for free on the author's website, the official publication took place a bit later. The book became the basis for a trilogy, numerous spin-offs by other authors, a series of games and a would-be movie adaptation. Glukhovsky is also known for other works such as FUTU.RE, Dusk or the collection of short stories Tales about the Motherland.

Last week, a great opportunity has occured to talk with Dmitry Glukhovsky, the inventor and author of the Metro book series that served as the basis for the games developed by the Ukrainian studio 4A Games, including Metro Exodus which is going to be released in February this year. During the conversation, one of the topics was his extremely harsh words, which he addressed (twice) to Andrzej Sapkowski after the creator of the Witcher's universe first criticized the games, and then demanded additional 60 million PLN from CD Projekt RED. This time, however, his tone was a bit more moderate. What's more, the writer revealed that the beginning of his adventure with games wasn't very fortunate either.

The excitement is over, and Glukhowsky’s opinion on Sapkowski has lost some of its edge.

MS: I can name only two modern writers whose books were made into successful video games...

DG: One of them yours, and the other one ours (laughs).

MS: Yeah. In fact, you’ve been mentioning „our man” quite a few times now.

DG: To be honest, I just feel sorry for him. Nothing else. I know it looks like a publicity stunt, but he is just asking for it. I do not know him personally, and I haven’t read the books, I only looked through them, so I can’t really tell you anything. But I think that video games, just like in my case, did help him a lot, including his brand.

He should be grateful. The fact that he made a mistake, sold the rights for a “song” and couldn’t strike a decent deal afterwards… To be honest, my first deal with 4A looked similar. It was long ago, but we managed to work something out later on.

Additionally, Glukhovsky emphasized that as a writer, he owes a lot to the video game adaptations of his books developed by 4A Games:

MS: You think that video games helped you, as a writer?

DG: Of course. I’ve never dissociated myself from the games. I never thought them to be dumb or primitive entertainment. Video games gave me a lot, and I gave a lot to video gaming. It’s a symbiosis.

Of course, Glukhovsky's attitude could have been completely different if the games based on his prose turned out to be a failure. Fortunately, the two previous installments of the digital Metro (including the Redux versions) were warmly received by both the audience and critics. Will it be the same with Exodus? We will find out February 15, when the title will debut on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Tomorrow, you will get to know our impressions of interacting with this promising title.